Collection 4 THE NORTH

First of all we need to look into the background of all
these countries who differ widely yet do have enough
in common to be considered a bunch. What makes
Scandinavian art Scandinavian art? First of all, geographically
speaking, we are talking about vast fields and mountains
and woods, surely not densely populated and pretty much
cut off of the rest of the world. We are talking about endless
winter nights and midsummer nights, ice and wild seas, strange
lights and strange colours. Then, culturally speaking, there are
goblins and trolls, witches and fairies, heroes and gods, all of
them stemming from the same mythology, affected by the land
itself and the dark imagination of its inhabitants, rough and
tough people who used imagination, colours and simplicity to
get through the struggles of every day life.
If you look at the work of all great Icelandic and Scandinavian
and even Baltic artists what is the first thing to strike you? You
can guess, without looking. Nature. Endless wild landscapes.
Animals, snow, lakes, sea, ships,
forests. One must not forget
how nature and its riches
had been the only means
for the Northern people.
Yet, all that, is
definitely also the
perfect setting
for all the
fairytales
and
290
mythological creatures native to these lands. The power the
forces of nature had over people in this northern isolated part
still remains today, partially. When myths speak of enchanted
woods like Járnvid, home to every creature associated with
the North -trolls, giants, witches- and of ash tree gods, brook
horses emerging from the fog, and wolves like Skoll and Hati
chasing the moon and the sun, and finally everything ruled by
the most famous tree ever -The Yggdrasil, it is not possible to
ignore this. Painters like Marcus Larson, Anders Zorn, gustaf
Fjaestad, Peder Balke, Hans gude, are some of the dozens of
artists who could not resist the animal symbolism and the wilderness
of their home countries and incorporated it into world
famous paintings.
OK, to be honest, another thing that always comes to mind
when speaking of Scandinavian and Icelandic art: creatures.
And not just their ghosts haunting these beautiful landscapes,
but the actual creatures. Mind, one of the most famous story
tellers, Hans Christian Andersen is Scandinavian and a little
mermaid is all many people actually know of Copenhagen. Yes,
hairy and slow trolls, forest maidens and seductresses, werewolves,
dangerous but also friendly mermaids who can see into the
future, longnosed witches of the woods or domesticated vicious
ones, cats with superhuman powers, music playing fossegrimen,
shapeshifters, ghosts of dead sailors, dwarfs and giants,
and beautiful elves , even dragons and worms. When paganism
and folklore is so rich wouldn‘t you be tempted to draw some
inspiration from this infinite pool? John Bauer remains
one of the most well recognized illustrators, same goes
for Theodor Kittelsen and Nils Blommer.
Now as time went by, and even though these
parts of the world still remain the most
Pagan ones, for sure, the Northern tribes
were faced with modernism, modern
life, industrial revolutions and all the forces
and trends from the South. This would have a
tremendous impact on people whose whole life was
the old ways and whose mythology was interwoven
with fact. The result of such a clash was evident in Northern
art. A world that is surreal to them as it was to the rest
of Europe, a world that fills the artists with agony and despair,
having lost faith in many of their given values. Spectacular
artists emerge. Pioneers, like Edvard Munch whose screaming
man has become a symbol for mankind. Or Sigrid Hjerten
whose bold canvases helped reinvent Scandinavian art. Or Eugene
Jansson with his bold nudity, the first openly homosexual
painter when being gay was still illegal.
By now, you will have recognized parts and pieces of Scandinavia
and Iceland all around you. One of the biggest elements of
Northern art is just about to be revealed though: bright bright
colours. It is impossible you have never noticed the feast of colours
when you are dealing with anything Icelandic or Scandinavian
in the broader sense. From places so dark, coming such
lively colours and shapes, would seem odd or actually would
seem totally expected. People needed to bring colour into their
lives and that‘s just what they did. Think of how Iceland is covered
in ice for such a long period of the year. Think of the dim
lights, of the Aurora Borealis. And then also think of the crazy
geometric shapes and the colours of folklore costumes of the
North. Doesn‘t it all fall to place? People create what they need
most. Like Asgrimur Jonsson, or Svavar gudnason with their
explosive use of colour, or Josef frank with his clean patterns.
Having read this you will hopefully have understood how an
area of the world so lonely, isolated, cold, and mystic has come
to invade everyone‘s hearts and everyone‘s homes, especially
when it comes to art and also design in a way. It is because all
these contrasts and secrets are simply irresistible.